How to Learn a Piano Piece FROM SCRATCH [My 6-Point System!]

[@ThePianoProfKateBoyd]

Watch this next: kzbin.info/www/bejne/aaHHd4x3fK-eZ9E

[@ginaqc78]

Hello there: I agree with your steps methodology BUT I think they are a little messed up. 1. Determined if the piece to learn is at your level. If you are a beginner you are not be able to play advanced pieces like concerts or Chopin or Liszt’ works. 2. Divide the piece. 3. Hands separated with no pedal 4. Slow first then increase the tempo And so on There is one thing that shocked me is what you said about practice room you said you will prefer to be outside the practice room doing SOMETHING INTERESTING 😱😱😱😱than doing something TEDIOUS!!!!😱😱😱 WHAT????? How can you say this??? What can be more beautiful and interesting than playing the piano for a person who is a professional musician????? As I read before, that’s musicians do practice all the time so they can then PERFORM. 12:43 Honestly I am very sad with your comment 😢😢😢 The last point, I never heard of STARTING FROM THE END. We don’t read books backwards, starting from the end, but I can understand that it can work for you. Sorry if my comment is not that supportive to you but I think people will benefit from my comment than just be silent. Thank you and I wish you the best. Oh, just in case

[@ginaqc78]

I did study in a National Conservatory of Music 🎼 🎵 🎶 🎼 in Lima-Perú 🇵🇪🇵🇪🇵🇪🇵🇪🇵🇪

[@juliannab5121]

Dear piano prof, Thank you so much for being an excellent resource! I’m currently an Masters-level cello student and even though your videos about learning pieces, mental practice, as musicality are geared for pianists, I find them extremely helpful.

[@ThePianoProfKateBoyd]

Thanks so much! Glad to hear you’re finding these videos helpful! Do you have any particular topics you’d like me to consider making a video on? Happy practicing! 😊

[@juliannab5121]

@@ThePianoProfKateBoyd actually, I was wondering if you’d consider discussing some ways to trouble-shoot a piece that you are returning to…particularly if the first time you worked it was before you were really ready and you have to fix some learned bad habits. I find this to be particularly challenging, but I am sure a lot of students deal with this issue at some point. Thank you so much, again, for your content!

[@ThePianoProfKateBoyd]

@@juliannab5121 This is a great idea - I'm going to add it to my list of video topics.

[@ericanthony8641]

Just found your videos, Prof Boyd. I agree with your process. Here is one thing that I use and you may consider when drilling a passage. Like you, sometimes I forget how many times I have drilled a passage. So I keep at my piano a small container of pennies. There may be 10 pennies in a small medicine bottle or small plastic bag that always sits on my piano. When I drill a passage, if I play it correctly, I simply take one penny out and place it on the music rack. If I don't play the passage correctly, I task myself with having to play it twice before I can put another penny on the rack. Once my prescribed number of repetitions is complete (I choose 5 to 7 repetitions), then I move to the next passage and instead of going bottle to rack, I reverse and go from rack to bottle. This works great for me and its one less thing I have to think about when I want to focus on just the music.

[@ThePianoProfKateBoyd]

I love this! I have heard about a similar method before and it's super helpful to have the physical reminder. Thanks for sharing!

[@AllThisOverASliceOfGabagool]

I can't remember who is was that did it with marbles, possibly Garrick Ohlsson, but the same principle basically. It's a good system 😊

[@TheWheelchairGuy]

Hi Doctor, thanks for the pieces of advice. I can listen to your voice all day.

[@ThePianoProfKateBoyd]

So nice of you! Thanks!

[@user-kt9fw2zy9v]

Thanks for these, I like the acronym to remember

[@ThePianoProfKateBoyd]

Happy to help! 😊

[@markshoub7335]

Makes sense to me. Very logical method. I will employ your system to help make my practice more efficient and effective. I get frustrated when a piece just won’t work for me, especially at the last measures. Thanks!

[@ThePianoProfKateBoyd]

I'm glad it helped- you can do it! 👏🏻 Happy practicing! 😊

[@oiva.siltamaki.]

Thanks❤.Hello from Finland🙋🏻‍♂️

[@ThePianoProfKateBoyd]

You're very welcome! Thank you for watching! 😊

[@minimoog1600]

Best piano teacher everrr

[@ThePianoProfKateBoyd]

Aww thanks for watching!

[@rbossr]

Hi Professor, thank you for sharing your piano knowledge.

[@ThePianoProfKateBoyd]

My pleasure! Thanks for watching! 😊

[@rbossr]

Hi Professor, what are the steps to hand independence? Can you recommend a piano book? I am a senior who practices daily. My goals are to improve my sight reading and hand independence. Your insights would be greatly appreciated.

[@ThePianoProfKateBoyd]

@@rbossr There are materials you can use to help progress toward hand independence? What books are you currently using, and do you currently have a teacher or are you learning independently?

[@TheTmackey]

Dear Prof: a great and clear lesson. I will put it into play shortly. It seems that your teaching and podcasting are beautifully symbiotic! Thanks!

[@ThePianoProfKateBoyd]

Thanks for your note! Happy practicing! 😊

[@MariaTrotter-w9f]

Love your teaching technique … one of the best videos … I’m so grateful to have found you and. U tube … pleasant teacher … I’m am implementing much of your techniques and approach to learning … loving starting at the end .. I’m an older adult going back to piano … haven’t had lessons in over 30 years .. I’m absolutely “ chunking “.. thank you

[@ThePianoProfKateBoyd]

Great to hear - keep it up! 👋

[@Keith-zc2nn]

I'm a jazzer who started playing by ear, but not reading much. Now I'm trying to read, and learn tunes. I like your explanation of the reasoning behind each concept. Generally an injury sidetracks my progress and I forget what I learned, but learning how to read does not abandon me. So I'm trying to read and play more. Time is and always has been the issue.

[@ThePianoProfKateBoyd]

Thanks for your comment! Glad to hear that you're reading and playing more these days. Yes, it's always hard to carve out time for these kinds of things. Doing a little bit every day tends to lead to good results, but even that can be challenging for many. Good luck!

[@markshoub7335]

Playing jazz by ear sounds very challenging. How did you teach yourself to do that?

[@Keith-zc2nn]

@@markshoub7335 You read it wrong. I didn't say I started playing jazz by ear. I said like jazz (jazzer) and I started playing (piano) by ear. There IS a difference. Read it again.

[@Wootwootwooton]

I appreciate all your lessons so much! I used this system to learn a new piece - not a hard piece, as it's from vol. 27 of Music for Millions easy classics, but new to me. It took 6 practice days to learn 16 bars. Contrast another piece in the same book I started in January when I first got my keyboard, a little Handel Aria, 12 bars. 11 months and I still make mistakes every time I play it. I took piano lessons for 5 years back in the 1970s, but I think I had bad instruction. I've spent the year unlearning bad technique (despite not playing for over 40 years in between, that memory is still there!).

[@mznewman7]

Thank you! I’ve just found your videos on KZbin! I’m a beginner The videos are awesome!

[@ThePianoProfKateBoyd]

Welcome! Thanks for watching!

[@Titurel]

So helpful!

[@ThePianoProfKateBoyd]

I'm so glad!

[@michaelezekiel3506]

Great and very helpful

[@ThePianoProfKateBoyd]

Glad to hear that! Thanks for watching!

[@lizweekes8076]

Thanks 🎉

[@ThePianoProfKateBoyd]

You're welcome 😊

[@davidkelly1220]

Thanks for 📫

[@alainmaurice2406]

Always ineresting to watch your video. Very professional ... By the way, could you please tel me what is the software who allows you to browse fast that you use on your tablet?

[@ThePianoProfKateBoyd]

Sure! The software I use on my iPad is an app called ForScore.

[@chinmaysahoo1991]

Hi Prof! Thanks for this great lesson and the follow up one too. I always was in two minds about listening a piece - used to feel that I would get the tempo from there rather than reading it. I guess I can play it first and then listen to avoid tempo cheating? (This may not be an issue for advanced players who have the interpretation issue, but is for a beginner like me) Also, in some of the pieces I am learning now, my fingers seem to get stuck (3rd finger) between black keys. How does one best avoid it?

[@ThePianoProfKateBoyd]

Hi Chinmay! When your fingers can't fit between the black keys, you will need to play with the fingers on the white keys just in front of the black keys. Regarding listening to a piece ahead of time, I don't think there's really a problem with hearing the tempo ahead of time by listening to a piece, because it gives you a sense of how the piece could go. So much music throughout the world is passed from person to person via oral/aural tradition, often without any musical notation (or with minimal notation). Writing down the notes on paper using symbols is really just a way for a composer to scale the distribution of their musical ideas without having to teach it to someone by rote. So, I really don't see a problem with hearing the tempo that somebody else is playing a piece at. If you are working on improving your reading, though, you should be careful not to listen to a piece so many times that you are no longer reading the music, but instead are picking out the notes by ear. Hope this is helpful!

[@LiquidTurbo]

Awesome video. What pdf software are you using to annotate the music?

[@ThePianoProfKateBoyd]

It's called ForScore - it works great!

[@ThisWorldisCorrupt00]

What would you recommend about playing at the right tempo. Should i learn the whole piece 1st and then slowly build tempo? Or after every section?

[@ThePianoProfKateBoyd]

I suggest working on it by section. I made this short to help address your question. I hope it helps! kzbin.infoYG9kdmY7iVI

[@OvertureMusicLessons]

This is a great way to break down the process - I look forward to sending along to my adult students! What magnetic case are you using with your iPad? I love ForScore for notation, but am always losing my Apple pencil!

[@ThePianoProfKateBoyd]

My Apple pencil sticks to the side of my iPad, but I also have a case from the Fintie Store and it has a pocket in it for my Apple pencil, which I use ALL the time. Here's the case I use - they don't have the exact floral pattern I chose anymore, but they have many other patterns: www.fintie.com/collections/ipad-accessories/products/ipad-pro-12-9-inch-2022-2021-multi-angle-viewing-case?variant=39936779845816

[@OvertureMusicLessons]

This is perfect! Thanks a million!@@ThePianoProfKateBoyd

[@piano9051]

Great video, thanks ! Start from the end - I didn't see that coming ! One question I have is about fingering - would you use sheet music with the fingering already written in, and then change as required, or would you put all your own fingering in ? I suppose this would depend on how experienced a pianist you are.

[@ThePianoProfKateBoyd]

Thanks for watching - glad you found it useful! I always think it's useful to start with the printed fingering and change it as needed, because the printed fingering was put there by a professional editor who understands the mechanics of piano playing, and it's often very good. It's a huge time saver IMO to start with the fingering on the page and go from there. Happy practicing!

[@piano9051]

@@ThePianoProfKateBoyd Thanks very much for taking the time to reply - much appreciated !

[@ginaqc78]

Hello there!!! I agree with your 6 steps methodology but I think they are a little messed up. 1. You have to start determining that the musical piece is at your level ( we have to increase difficulty slowly) because if you are a beginner you won’t be able to play advanced pieces like Chopin or Liszt. 2. Divide the piece in sections 3. Hands separated with NO pedal. 4. Start slowly and then increase the tempo. And so on

[@ThePianoProfKateBoyd]

Thanks for your comment! I appreciate your approach, and I have encountered students over the years who learn pieces this way. However, one wonderful thing about learning a musical instrument is that there are different pedagogical philosophies and approaches. 😊In my teaching I recommend starting a piece hands together right away and then only doing HS practice as needed. The reason for this is because I believe it's important to make music as soon as possible. Playing hands separate without pedal can cause the student to learn to play mechanically and not have an understanding of the musical gestures and phrasing, etc from the beginning. So what I have found when a student first learns a piece hands separately without pedal at a slow tempo, is that the student learns to accurately play the notes and rhythms but then has to be taught expression, phrasing, shaping, and nuance. This goes hand in hand with developing good sight reading skills. A student needs to be able to sight read hands together and use pedal appropriately from the first time they see a piece. Therefore, a repertoire piece selected should be at a level where it's possible to play it reasonably well (yet under tempo and perhaps with a few spots that will need careful, hands separate practice) from the start - it it's impossible to play the piece except hands separately, I would choose an easier piece. ***One important caveat: I teach at the collegiate level, so I am working with more advanced students. If you are a beginner, you will DEFINITELY need to do a lot of slow, hands separate practice as you practice your hand-eye coordination and get used to the physical motions required to play the piano. And you will also need to learn music without the pedal, and add it later. Thanks for the discussion! 😊🎹💜🎶

[@Linda-learns-piano]

What do you mean you play the notes blocked (as in a chord ?)

[@ThePianoProfKateBoyd]

Yes, in a chord. I talk more about blocking in this video: kzbin.info/www/bejne/aHzJiYZtapJnl68

[@darkblu09]

I feel slightly called out by this video lol. But thank you, this was very helpful

[@ThePianoProfKateBoyd]

Glad it helped! 😊

[@stephenazuka9560]

Am a beginner. I want to learn to plan prof

[@ThePianoProfKateBoyd]

You'd like to learn to plan your progress? Let me know what questions you have for me. Thanks!

[@backtoschool1611]

This something I have done from the start. I dont see the notes to sightread, so I MUST memorize everything.

[@ThePianoProfKateBoyd]

Thanks for your comment - glad to have you here! 😊🎹

[@lawrencetaylor4101]

I'm not at this level yet, but it's been stored away.

[@ThePianoProfKateBoyd]

Great! Thanks for watching, and happy practicing!

[@ginaqc78]

12:43 Your comment made at this time of your video really SHOCKED ME. You said that you will prefer to be outside the practice room doing SOMETHING INTERESTING than staying in the room DOING SOMETHING TEDIOUS 😱😱😱😱😱???? WHAT??????😱😱😱 How can you say this???? What can be more interesting and beautiful than playing the piano 🎹 for a person who is a professional musician????? Practice is what musicians do, practice all the time so then you can perform . Sorry 😢 to pointed out this but I think it’s better to say something than staying silence. The great geniuses of the past spent countless hours practicing piano 🎹. Claudio Arrau didn’t even want to stop for meals and his mother had to fed him while he was playing 😅😅😅. So, if you want to be a professional pianist or want to learn a good playing, LOVE your practicing time. It’s like wanting to be a body builder and hate going to the gym. Weird, right. BE HAPPY WITH ANYTHING YOU DO, live is tooooooo short!!! Happy practicing!!!!🎹❤️🥰🎹🇵🇪🎼🎵🎶🎹❤️

[@ThePianoProfKateBoyd]

Thanks so much for your ENTHUSIASTIC and IMPASSIONED response! I really appreciate your passion for the piano! 🥰 To be clear, practicing is something that has been an important part of my life since I started taking piano lessons at the age of 4. My favorite part of the day is my own practice time, and I protect it carefully. Not only is it an important work time for me, preparing for concerts, but practicing is a beautiful way to spend time and it's truly absorbing to get into a "flow" state while practicing. The student years can be a wonderful time to dedicate many hours per day to practicing. I remember this myself, in Germany: waking up early to get to the Musikhochschule so I could stand in line so that when the doors opened at 7 am I could rush to get a practice room, and then organizing my entire day around practicing. However, practicing is not an end in itself. A lot of times I see musicians equating "quantity" of practice with "quality" of practice, and not use the practice time they have effectively. Also, life has seasons. As adult responsibilities encroach, even if you are a professional musician it is extremely probable that you will never have more time to practice than when you were a student, and it's therefore essential to cultivate mindful, deliberate practice during the student years. More hours spent at the piano in a day does not necessarily lead to better outcomes. This is what I was referring to when I talked about practice as "tedious" - many students who do not practice well feel that the process is tedious. So, why not practice better, getting more done in less time, so that you can then be satisfied that you are making progress and then cultivate your whole self by having experiences away from the piano as well? One of the main purposes of this KZbin channel and my teaching is to help people practice more efficiently so that they can enjoy their life outside of the practice room while still progressing at the piano. A great performance is informed by life experiences - this is why you sometimes hear a teacher instruct a very talented teenager that they should wait until they are older before they play Beethoven Op 111 or Schubert B-flat Sonata - it's important to develop as a human being AWAY from the piano, in order to bring that insight and wisdom to one's performances. This time away from the piano could be in the form of reading literature, cultivating another hobby, exploring other cultures and parts of the world, making friends, falling in love, having a family, etc. HAPPY PRACTICING! 🎹🥰🎶💜